Advance Journal of Food Science and Technology 9(10): 816-820, 2015
DOI: 10.19026/ajfst.9.1667
ISSN: 2042-4868; e-ISSN: 2042-4876
© 2015 Maxwell Scientific Publication Corp.
Submitted: May 1, 2015
Accepted: May 10, 2015
Published: September 20, 2015
Research Article
Food Safety Knowledge and Decision-making Process among College Students in Lanzhou,
Western China
Guo Tao, Su Dan, Zhang Bing-Yun and Wang Ya
School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China
Abstract: In the study, a questionnaire survey containing three parts (general characteristics of the study sample, 15
food safety knowledge questions and 3 questions about decision-making process on food safety problems) was
conducted among college students in Lanzhou City. The results indicated that food safety knowledge levels was
closely related to engaged major and sex of college students. Food safety knowledge scores of students in food
science major were higher than ones of liberal arts and engineering students. Female college students gained higher
scores in food safety knowledge than male students and male students are more concerned about food safety cases
and easily inclined to participate in solving these problems about food safety. Moreover, the results revealed that the
levels of food safety knowledge for college students in China were low and there is an urgent need for more food
safety education.
Keywords: College students, decision-making process, food safety knowledge, questionnaire
Medeiros et al., 2004), thus they should be paid more
attention.
Each year, a considerable number of people suffer
from illness due to the consumption of foods with
quality problems in China. Chinese society has been
affected more by food safety issues than has others on
earth. But to our surprise, there are very litter survey
data about food safety knowledge and related issue of
college students.
This study was conducted in Lanzhou (an
important western city of China) to investigate the
knowledge and attitude of college students in the city.
Primarily, this research investigated on the knowledge
levels of college students on food safety knowledge and
decision-making process to identify food safety
education needs and the significant differences between
food science and non-food science students. Another
focal point was on distinguishing the differences
between male and female students.
INTRODUCTION
The cases of food safety issues occur daily in all
countries, from the most to the least developed. Food
safety is an great public health problems increasingly
(Rossvoll et al., 2013). It not only affects the lives of
people in harmful ways, but also pose a number of
manufactured risks that are difficult to calculate and
control. Some of these outbreaks were caused by food
prepared in the home. Some incidents are caused by
improper consumer handling of food.
College students which have good education will
be high-incomings groups in the future and are
considered the new future force of the country. They
are potentially important targets for the promotion of
healthy lifestyles among the adult population, thus
ensuring their health is important. Previous studies
(Williams et al., 1992) showed that the young were
usually unaware of food safety. Many college students
are preparing meals for the first time in life. College
students engage in behaviors that place them at risk, not
only risky food handling but also food consumption.
The need for enhanced food safety education has begun
to gain recognition in undeveloped countries with the
launch of national initiatives that determine effective
methods of educating consumers, particularly young
individuals (Sanlier, 2009). College students instead of
high school are more likely to engage in jobs associated
with food handling and preparation than others (LiCohen and Bruhn, 2002; McArthur et al., 2007;
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Research design: A cross-sectional study was
conducted from August 2014 to January 2015 to assess
the levels of food safety knowledge among college
students from colleges in the Lanzhou Province in
China. A total of 1500 students participated in the
study.
However,
only
1305
accomplished
questionnaires from 780 males and 525 females were
considered valid.
Corresponding Author: Guo Tao, School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou
730050, China, Tel.: +86 931-2973727
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
816
Adv. J. Food Sci. Technol., 9(10): 816-820, 2015
Data collection: Research data were collected from the
survey responses of 1305 students. The questionnaire
used during the survey contained three parts. The first
part inquired on basic information, including
profession, sex. The second part comprised choice
questions that the level of knowledge on food safety (15
questions). The total score of students’ knowledge was
calculated by the summation of correct answers to 15
knowledge questions. A high score represented high
level of knowledge. The third part of the questionnaire
aimed to identify decision-making process toward food
safety problems, including methods in obtaining food
safety knowledge and in handling and addressing food
safety issues.
Statistical analysis: Data in this study were analyzed
using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
(SPSS), version 20.0. Descriptive statistics (means and
standard deviations, or frequencies) was used for all
variables. Mean responses and percentages of the
responses in each category were calculated and
presented in tabular form. Mean and standard deviation
values were used to evaluate the scores. In addition, the
questions were evaluated based on the results of the ttest in terms of the correlation between specialization
and gender, the scores obtained on food safety and the
decision-making process toward food safety
knowledge. Statistical significance was set at a p-value
of <0.01.
RESULTS
General characteristics of the study sample: A total
of 1305 students participated in the study, with a mean
age of 20.08 and composed of 59.77% males and
41.23% females. Among the participants, 51.5% had
food science-related majors, whereas 24.14 and 24.37%
had specializations related to liberal arts and
engineering, respectively.
Table 1: Correct responses to food safety scale questions among college students
Questions
The most important law for food safety risk assessment which indicates that a national assessment
system of food safety risks shall be established to assess the risks of biological and chemical hazards in
foods is:
(a) Food safety Law (FAL)
(b) Agricultural product quality safety law
(c) Food Safety Law Implementation Measures (FSLIM)
(d) Food Safety Risk Assessment Management Regulation (FSRAMR)
What is the recommended freezer temperature for preventing food poisoning?
(a) -18°C; (b) -8°C; (c) -4°C; (d) 0°C
All foods are considered safe when cooked to an internal temperature of:
(a) 54°C; (b) 60°C; (c) 66°C; (d) 74°C
You should test milk rather than look at its expiry date to understand if it is safe:
(a) Agree; (b) Disagree; (c) Not sure
Raw chicken, fish and meat should not contact each other:
(a) Agree; (b) Disagree; (c) Not sure
What is the maximum temperature refrigerators should be to preserve the safety
of food?
(a) -18°C; (b) 4°C; (c) -4°C; (d) 7°C
You may contaminate the next food you touch with salmonella bacteria if you don’t
wash your hands after touching:
(a) Raw pork; (b) Raw vegetables; (c) Raw beef; (d) Raw chicken
Pasteurized milk can be stored at refrigerator temperature for a maximum of 3 days in its unopened
box:
(a) Agree; (b) Disagree; (c) Not sure
In order fried eggs to be safe to eat, how should their texture be after cooking?
(a) Semi-solid albumen and yolk; (b) Solid albumen and semi-solid yolk; (c) Solid albumen and yolk;
(d) Solid albumen and liquid yolk
Which of the following is considered the most important way to prevent food poisoning?
(a) Spray for pests in the kitchen are at least every week; (b) Rarely or never serve left over; (c) Keep
foods refrigerated until it’s time to cool or serve them; (d) Clean kitchen counters with solutions
weekly
After you have used a cutting board to slice raw meat or chicken and need to cut
tomatoes, what do you do? Use the cutting board as it is:
(a) Wipe the cutting board off with a paper tower; (b) Rinse the cutting board under water; (c) Turn the
board over and use the other side; (d) Wash the cutting board with soap and rinse it under hot water
When has FSL been effective:
(a) 29 April 2006; (b) 1 June 2009; (c) 2 July 2010; (d) 1May 2008
When preparing food, you wash your hands after touching which one of these?
(a) Clean pots and pans; (b) Utensils that are being used to prepare food; (c) Clean countertop; (d)
None of these
In case your electricity went off and the meat, chicken and/or seafood in your freezer thawed and felt
warm, what do you do?
(a) Throw them away; (b) Cook them right away; (c) See how they smell or look before deciding what
to do; (d) Immediately re-freeze until solidly frozen, then cook them
Have you ever served left raw/cooked foods at room temperature (29-32°C) longer than 2 h?
(a) Yes; (b) no
817 Total responses (n)
1305
Correct rate (%)
27.22
1304
59.67
1305
20.61
1305
76.35
1304
82.31
1305
18.89
1305
72.83
1305
68.93
1305
33.79
1305
73.78
1305
14.68
1304
17.60
1305
68.35
1305
41.37
1305
43.92
Adv. J. Food Sci. Technol., 9(10): 816-820, 2015
Table 2: Food safety knowledge scores of students
Liberal arts X±S.D.
------------------------------------------Survey content
Male
Female
Food safety knowledge
18.50±3.42
20.00±2.00
**: Comparison with food science majors p<0.01
Engineering X±S.D.
--------------------------------------------Male
Female
18.23±4.36
21.15±4.51
Table 3: Approaches of learning food safety knowledge of students
Approaches
Male (%)
Female (%)
TV
33.72
46.48
Network
35.26
29.90
Class
1.79
6.10
Two or more
29.23
17.52
Table 4: The attitude to the food safety issues of students
Attitude
Male (%)
Not concern
5.77
Concern
67.69
Concern and interested to implement food 26.54
safety reforms through their own efforts
Table 5: Behavior to the food safety issues of students
Male (%)
Do you encounter food safety problems?
Usually
5.89
Sometimes
75.00
Never
19.11
How to deal with these problems
No care
34.70
No care and eat
2.38
Deal with sellers
37.72
Lodge a complaint
25.20
Female (%)
20.38
68.00
11.62
Female (%)
2.09
71.62
26.29
50.13
7.75
31.01
11.11
Food safety knowledge levels of students: As Table 1
shown, the food safety knowledge mean score was
21.37 (score ranging from 0 to 45). Among the
participants, 27.22% participants know about the food
safety laws, while only did 17.6% knew the time which
these important laws were effective. About 20.61%
participants were aware of the safe temperature for
cooking and 18.89% participants aware of temperature
for preserving food. About 43.92% had experienced
serving leftover raw/cooked foods under room
temperatures (29 to 32°C) at >2 h. About 76.35% knew
that raw chicken, fish and meat should not come into
contact with each other.
About 72.83 and 68.35% were aware of the
importance of washing hands when they touch meat or
cooking utensils, respectively and 14.68% for cleaning
cutting boards after cutting raw meat. Among the
participants, 33.79% were aware that the egg were safe
to eat when the albumen and the yolk of eggs were fried
to become solid and about 76.35% understand whether
milk is safe by tasting milk rather than looking at its
expiry date.
As Table 2 shown, the food safety knowledge
scores of male liberal arts students were 18.50±3.42,
while those among females were 20.00±2.00. For
engineering majors, male students got 18.23±4.36 of
scores and females got 21.15±4.51. Among food
science major students, males scored 24.00±1.63 and
females at 26.33±1.50. The results indicated that Food
safety knowledge scores of food science students were
Food science X±S.D.
------------------------------------------Male
Female
24.00±1.63**
26.33±1.50**
higher than those of liberal arts and engineering
students and food safety knowledge scores among
college student from different majors had highly
significant difference.
Methods of acquiring food safety knowledge: As
Table 3 shown, the college students obtained food
safety knowledge from networks, television programs
and school courses. Females more likely acquired
knowledge from television programs, while males more
likely acquire information from networks. About
29.23% of males and 17.52% of females acquired
knowledge in varied ways.
Attitude toward food safety issues: As Table 4
shown, majority of the participants exhibited concern
on food safety problems and 26.54% of male students
and 11.62% of female are interested to implement food
safety reforms through their own efforts.
Behavior toward food safety issues: Behavior patterns
of male and female students toward food safety issues
are presented in Table 5. About 19.11% of male
students and 26.29% of female stated that they had not
encountered food safety problems previously, while
75% of males and 71.62% of females stated that they
usually encountered these problems. Among those who
had encountered food safety problems, 37.72% of
males and 31.01% of females had argued with sellers,
while 25.20% males and 11.11% females openly
expressed their intent to forward a complaint.
DISCUSSION
Lanzhou, is an representative western city of
China, especially northwest city of China (except for
Xi’an city, Lanzhou like the other northwest provinces
and it’s economy, education and other aspects are
whole relatively backward). Moreover, a huge number
of college students in Lanzhou come from western
China. So the study can goodly show present situation
of food safety knowledge and decision-making process
among the western college students in China.
Although during the past few decades, the Chinese
government had focused on the development of western
China and carried out a series of measures. However,
there are few studies about food safety knowledge
levels of college students in western China (Luo et al.,
2011). Thus, this study aims to fill this gap by
providing data on the knowledge and attitudes of
818 Adv. J. Food Sci. Technol., 9(10): 816-820, 2015
college students in Lanzhou on food safety and
decision-making process.
According to previous report (Alsaffar, 2011), the
levels of food safety knowledge of college students
from China were low, compared with developed
countries, such as Australia, UK and Turkey. The level
of participants from Australia and Turkey for the same
questions were slightly higher than those of Chinese
participants, while the level of participants from the UK
were the highest. A survey about the eating habits and
food safety knowledge of Japanese female students
(Qiong, 2013) proved the student with good awareness
of acquiring food knowledge had a healthy body. Thus,
more opportunities of obtaining related knowledge
should be provided to college students for increasing
their food safety knowledge levels.
The results of the present study that students of
food science major had the highest average food safety
knowledge scores, are consistent with the findings in
previous studies (Abbot et al., 2009; Byrd-Bredbenner
et al., 2007; Osaili et al., 2011; Sharif and Al-Malki,
2010; Thomai, 2012). It was reported that students
enrolled in food science major had better food safety
knowledge scores, which can be attributed to the
exposure of these students to a more systematic
education on food knowledge and to their involvement
in relevant practice. Moreover, the results from us
demonstrated that students were highly aware of crosscontamination prevention procedures, but had less
knowledgeable on food poisoning and on the safe
time/temperature for cooking/storing food. Therefore,
the development of an education program on food
safety knowledge is necessary.
The results from us that female college students
obtained higher scores in food safety knowledge than
male students fairly support data from previous studies
(Unklesbay et al., 1998), which may also be related to
the fact that females traditionally prepare and cook food
at home in the Chinese culture. It was found that male
college students had more positive attitude toward food
safety problems than female students. About 26.54% of
male students were concerned on food safety problems
and intent on changing the present situation through
their own efforts. About 62% of males and 36% of
females had the actions in protecting consumers’ rights,
which were contrary to the results mentioned in
previous studies (Sanlier, 2009).
The data gathered revealed an urgent need for food
safety education among college students in Lanzhou. In
order to help students develop and acquire more food
knowledge and promote a positive attitude toward food
safety knowledge, the state policy on food knowledge
education should be established. The university
curriculum can be an ideal setting in providing safety
knowledge and in increasing the positive cognition,
attitude, behavior to food safety issues of college
students.
CONCLUSION
This study showed food safety knowledge levels
and decision-making process are closely related to sex
and engaged major of college students. College students
in west China generally have poor food safety
knowledge, but their attitude toward food safety
problems remained positive. The need for educational
measures aimed at improving food safety knowledge
among college students is proven to be essential.
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